 | |
| Company type | Private (1871–1939?) Brand (1939–present) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Founded | 1871 in Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Founder | Oscar & Otto Schmidt |
| Fate | Rights to name acquired by Harmony Company in 1939;[1] then by Fretted Industries Inc. in 1978 [2] |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | List |
| Parent | U.S. Music Corp. |
| Website | oscarschmidt.com |
Oscar Schmidt was a musical instrument manufacturing company established in 1871. During its long existence, Oscar Schmidt has produced a wide range of string instruments, not only guitars but also numerous models of parlour instruments such as autoharps, celtic harps, guitar zithers, the "guitarophone" (a zither/metal-disc playing hybrid),[3] marxophones[4] and bowed psalteries (or "ukelins").[1]
Through its history, the company has changed its name several times, selling under the names "Oscar Schmidt Inc.," "Oscar Schmidt Musical House," "Manufacturers Advertising Company," "Oscar Schmidt-International Corporation," and "Oscar Schmidt-International, Inc.".
Products currently sold under the Oscar Schmidt brand are electric, acoustic and classical guitars, autoharps, banjos, ukuleles and mandolins. Oscar Schmidt is currently a brand of U.S. Music Corp, a subsidiary of Canadian corporate group Exertis | JAM.[5]
- ^ a b Oscar Schmidt Company (1897 – c.1939) by Charles Robinson on LeavingThisWorld.com, 13 Dec 2018
- ^ Becky Blackley. The Autoharp Book.
- ^ Oscar Schmidt's Guitarophone
- ^ Oscar Schmidt marxophone
- ^ "JAM Industries Rebrands as Exertis JAM and Reaffirms Commitment to Core Values". Yahoo. Yahoo. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.